6 yrs. Grade 1

My daughter would love to play and learn like the other kids she knows, but when the bus rolls up, she shakes with fear. She will go to the stairs of the bus and look at me; I will tell her she can do it; and then she will begin to shake her head “no”; and this might turn into her running back to the house or hiding in a bush…anywhere, until the bus driver tells me they can’t wait any longer. Driving her doesn’t work either….she wants to go but then says she can’t. It is like watching a child learning to jump into a pool. Some just do it, and others overthink it and hesitate and talk themselves out of it. School refusal in our house means I cannot work outside of my home. I might even lose my home business. It means chaos and uncertainty. For my daughter, staying home means safety. She can make her own choices, and she knows how the day will go. People laugh at me and say, “You can’t get your kid to school? What’s the matter with you?” Words sting. My self-esteem is low; my confidence in parenting is shaken. I’ve dealt with this from JK to grade 1: 3 years. We don’t have any solutions.